AN: Just something I always wanted to do with classic Naruto. This was probably done before, but I wanted one a little darker, with the focus on real human responses, angst, drama, and romance, so here you go, open wide.
"Speaking out loud."
'Thinking.'
Highlighted information, emphasis.
(Translations)
[Titles, books, signs]
Written Knowledge.
Jutsus.
*Sounds*
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and do not write this story for any financial gain.
Prologue.
Can you really understand what happens when someone experiences a series of irrational situations, the unfair ones, the ones that make your chest hurt and your breathing stop, the ones that make you wanna cry, the ones that make you wanna scream, the ones that make you wanna hurt someone, the ones that make you wanna end it?
Well, for starters, the most natural reaction to something of that nature, would be trying and making sense of it, most likely demanding answers from those involved, as to why they are being put in that irrational situation to begin with, trying to understand it, trying to bring order to chaos, trying to stop the pain, but once you deny this person answers, repeatedly, drowning them into a sea of pain and indifference, do you believe this person would simply respond to it with a smile? No, there is only one logical answer to an illogical problem.
Insanity.
You don't smile and cheer when someone is stabbing you to death, you try to find anything to hurt your assailant, you try to fight it, and you try to make the pain stop so you can save yourself.
And once you succeed, hatred is born.
In that exact moment, when they're down, and the knife is on the ground, you gotta choose what to do with your hatred.
As you stand there, bleeding and in pain, seeing the one who hurt you at your mercy, what would you do? Would you let that feeling pass through you and rise above it, or would you pick that knife up?
Hatred breeds hatred, and only through pain can one understand another, huh?
Chapter One - Pain of the Forgotten.
It was almost twilight, the already chilling wind blowing through the open window of Sarutobi's office, when he felt a presence and looked up from the documents he was reviewing at the moment a Shinobi stepped inside using the Shunshin(Body Flicker Technique), carrying a blonde boy, throwing him on the ground. The boy turned to glare at both his captor and Sarutobi, who just needed one look to actually feel the hatred in his blue eyes, sighing before looking at the ninja, who was kneeling.
"Again?" The old man asked, and the Anbu operative nodded.
"Yes, sir, through the West gate, hidden inside a merchant wagon."
The Sandaime got up from his chair and looked down at the crumbled form of Naruto on the floor, before being met with the usual deadly gaze he had been receiving these past months.
"I thought we had an understanding, Naruto."
"Understanding?! Why won't-" The boy hissed before biting his lip.
"Huh?" Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, walking closer.
"Why won't you just let me leave?!"
The Sandaime looked at the Anbu operative and nodded, making the man disappear, turning to Naruto again.
"I already told you, there are things that prohibit me from allowing you to get out of the village, Naruto, and believe me, this is for your own good-"
Naruto got up and glared at the old man with hatred burning in his eyes, trying to kill him with his anger alone if possible.
"My own good?!" He spat the words as if daring the man to say it again.
"You may not yet see it, but one day you'll understand why-"
And the boy bit his lip so hard that it bled, his hands closing into fists, his nails digging into his palms, and out of nowhere, he closed his eyes and screamed so loud that the Sandaime jumped a little, hearing the scream from the bottom of his soul, making his mouth fall open.
Naruto gasped after his outburst, turning and storming off, leaving the old Hokage sighing.
Naruto was on top of a building, looking at the night sky, thinking of another failed attempt. He had tried almost everything. Running out, pretending to be someone else, sneaking into wagons, but each time, Anbu ninjas caught him. He had a hunch that the Sandaime had placed an Anbu squad to solely watch him, and that was the last nail in the coffin.
Wasn't it enough that they treated him like trash around the village? Chased like a dog from all businesses? Left to rot in that bedroom of his? Wasn't it enough that nobody wanted anything to do with him? That parents would usher their kids away from him as if he were a leper? Why couldn't he leave? The entire village wanted him gone by what he could see, so why couldn't he find another place to live, one with less irrational and deranged people, capable of hating on someone without a reason?
And there wasn't a reason, Naruto made sure to ask, trying multiple times to dig up a why, but received only gazes filled with hatred, brooms pulling him away, or the occasional bucket of water to the face, as if he was a flea dog.
There had to be a way to escape this place, Naruto thought while fighting the tears, but he'd need to find a way to lose his Anbu handlers first. How could he trick highly trained Shinobi? Well, he couldn't find an answer, wiping his eyes before sneaking a glance to the left, seeing the masked assholes watching him from afar, making him grunt before going back to his bedroom.
Two days had passed since the last escape attempt, and Naruto had stopped trying. The young blonde was lying down on his bed again, looking at the ceiling while fantasizing about futures that would never happen, something that became close to a ritual before sleeping. How would he love to become a Shinobi, recognized by everyone, cheered, and appreciated, but he knew that would never happen, not in this place. While trying for some rest, Naruto had an idea, one that he instantly thought was insane, but that could actually work. He deduced that by nighttime, the surveillance over him would weaken because even though he was a troublemaker, he never tried a prank at night. He slowly got out of bed, sneaking pillows under his sheets, placing them with care in his bed, wrapping a yellow pajama he had around a pillow, placing it where his head would be, mimicking his body, dressing, and leaving the quietest he could.
It was dark, but when he reached the streets, the strong glow of moonlight illuminated his way. He jumped until he reached the rooftop, seeing two Anbu members on the furthest rooftop to the north of his building, eyeing his window while smoking. He slowly jumped back down to the street, using the alleyways, making his way to the Hokage tower in a couple of minutes. It was extremely hard to sneak through the few Anbu posted at the entrances, their eyes sharp in all directions, but once Naruto circled the place from afar, his eyes bulged when he saw one of them dozing off, his head down, and that was everything he needed, tiptoeing around the man, entering the building and going straight for what he needed.
Jutsus.
He heard the other kids talking about a place where the Hokage held every jutsu that was banned from the village, some sort of secret chamber for the most horrific techniques, that would turn one into some kind of smudge or make your skin turn inside out, but even though Naruto knew those were all just silly stories, he also knew that the room actually existed. In one of his pranks, he found the place but was quickly grabbed by a Shinobi and taken away. This secret room filled with dangerous and prohibited jutsus was exactly what he needed.
How to win against powerful Shinobi? Become stronger than them.
He quickly reached the prohibited section of the tower, stopping by the door to analyze it. Naruto knew from experience that some doors in this place were always booby-trapped to protect whatever was inside, and this room probably had the greatest traps in the village, so he fished his lock pick out of his pocket and went to town on the lock. It took him a few minutes to finally open it, but he didn't push the door all the way, slightly moving it with one finger, until he saw it. Papers were holding the door shut, probably filled with seals, so he'd need to find a way to deal with those first, and unfortunately for the leaf Shinobi and their imbecile leader, this wasn't his first rodeo.
He took the small vial filled with the concoction he invented, a mix of salt water and acetone, that for some weird reason, would always mess with paper seals. He took the vial and a straw, which he used on the slit of the door to wet the paper. He did it three times, waiting... waiting... until he saw the faint glow when the water blurred the seals and the papers came undone, making Naruto push the door all the way, quickly closing it behind him. Once inside, he took out a tiny flashlight, looking at the paper seals, noticing they were bomb traps, but not the strong ones. This likely served as an alarm system for the Anbu operatives around the tower, rather than a death trap, which relieved Naruto. He turned his attention to the room he was in, his mouth dropping in awe.
Scrolls of different sizes and shapes filled the room, along with a few weapons displayed on the walls, vests in glass cases, headbands, and weird kunais hanging. Naruto didn't know where to start, so he went for the thing that was closer to him, pointing his flashlight to see the name tag on the top of the shelf, reading the sign:
[Nidaime Senju Tobirama Archives]
Naruto gasped at his find, remembering that the Nidaime was infamous for his hatred of the Uchiha and the jutsus he developed as a way of countering their powers. If this incursion also rewarded Naruto with a way to stick up to Sasuke, this could be the best day of his life. He took the first scroll and opened it, reading the first line.
[Edo Tensei](Reanimation Jutsu)
Naruto's eyes bulged, and he felt his heart stop. He wasn't hallucinating, was he? He read the title again, thinking if that meant someone could actually bring a person back from the dead.
Naruto finished reading the scroll and pondered for a few moments. Yes, people could be brought back to life, but this jutsu was an abomination by definition. You'd need a living sacrifice to bring the person you want back, and not only that, but the resurrected target would only stay in this world as long as the user kept the jutsu going. No, his initial thought of reviving his parents went down the drain before he could even fantasize about it. How good would it be, though, having people who'd love him-
He shrugged it off and stashed the scroll back on the shelf, quickly peeking out the door, checking both sides, still in the clear, moving to a second scroll in the Nidaime section.
[Hiraishin](Flying Thunder God Jutsu)
Naruto dove into that jutsu, noticing this was something he could probably use. It was marked as an S-rank jutsu, and that made his heart skip a beat. He saw the drawing for the seal used in this technique and stored it in his mind, also understanding that Tobirama had to be a genius because he managed to create this intrinsic seal and draw it into itself multiple times just to activate the jutsu. Naruto wasn't a jutsu specialist by any margin, but he, just like the kids his age, was infatuated with jutsus and chakra, to the point they would often read about chakra control, seals, and everything Shinobi-related, so, of course, he would have superficial knowledge about the seals used in this scroll, even though an expert created it. Naruto's Ninjutsu was non-existent at this point, but with this technique, he could finally escape this place. He placed the scroll on the ground, grabbed one journal that was lying around, ripped a page, and started drawing the seals with his finger since he couldn't find a brush, just a vial with ink. He did it once, got it wrong, did it again, and then proudly compared it to the scroll. This one was perfect, so he placed the original back on the shelf and stashed the copy in his jacket. He was about to leave when he gritted his teeth. When would he have another chance like this? No, even if it was risky to stay here, the pros outweighed the cons, so he turned back and pulled another scroll, frowning.
[Kage Bunshin no Jutsu](Shadow Clone Jutsu)
Naruto heard about this one, and even though kids learned the Bunshin(Clone Technique), which was a simple mirage, this jutsu actually created physical clones. Naruto took a deep breath at the idea of having multiple clones of him fighting, or causing a ruckus. This would be perfect for a diversion so he could escape, he thought, instantly opening it and reading the seals. It was a B-rank, and the reason for it was clear. The seals were very simple, the Hiraishin was ten times harder, so he did the hand seals and whispered.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(Shadow Clone Jutsu)."
And to his surprise, another him appeared beside him, looking as confused as he was.
"Whoa."
"You tell me." The clone said before Naruto squinted at the sensation he was having. It was like the clone somehow occupied the same space as his own body, but without actually being there. He could feel it; at the same time, he could feel their connection, and once he severed that, the clone disappeared in a puff of white smoke, making him smirk involuntarily. He read the last lines, noticing there was something else, making him frown.
[Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu](Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)
They labeled this jutsu as an A-rank, and Naruto saw the motive below. This was an evolution of the jutsu, but each additional clone would consume an incredible amount of chakra, so using this could drain him to death. He stored that to mind, seeing that the seals were pretty much the same, just the casting that was different, and stashed the scroll again just when he heard a low thud right above him, instantly turning the flashlight off and running to a corner, trying to get out of sight if someone somehow had a see-through jutsu. He snuck glances at the door, just when he saw a shadow from the gap under the door, probably from an Anbu, walking around, staying in front of the door for a few moments before jumping and disappearing again.
Naruto took deep breaths, trying to calm down, thinking he had pushed his luck too much for one night, going to the door, but when his hand touched the handle again, something kept him there. If he were to get caught, the more jutsus he discovered, the better, right? They wouldn't kill him for this, he presumed, and the worst they could do was imprison or exile him, so he could kill two birds with one stone if he was lucky. He was being greedy, he knew that, but just a glimpse at his memories made his expression darken, and he turned back to the scrolls, thinking he couldn't allow himself the luxury of being at their mercy ever again.
He saw that the other scrolls contained water techniques, and wondered if he could use some of those, but then, he stopped for a moment and frowned. If this were the Nidaime's archives, does that mean that the other shelves-
He walked to the fourth row and turned the flashlight to read the tag.
[Yondaime Namikaze Minato Archives]
Naruto took the first thing, which was a book, and frowned when it wouldn't open. He put some strength into it and cut his finger, cursing in a whispery voice. Just when he was about to throw it aside, he saw it was open. He frowned but started reading and noticed it wasn't about jutsus, but a journal. He quickly rushed through the pages, wondering what that was, until he got the tenor of it. This was some kind of diary the Yondaime kept.
Naruto was about to put it back onto the shelf since it had nothing to do with jutsus when he saw a name and illuminated the book again.
...and today of all days, Kushina got into another fight back at the academy, not that she was at fault, of course, but she can't allow the other Kunoichi to keep getting under her skin. Her red hair is beautiful and the mark of the Uzumaki clan, she should be proud of it...
Naruto quickly rushed through the pages to the beginning, seeing the names.
'Namikaze Minato... who married... Uzumaki Kushina. Uzumaki? She's from my clan?' Naruto thought, pushing through the pages till he reached the end and glimpsed a word, seeing that this Kushina was pregnant, and by the very end of the diary, Naruto felt his soul leave his body.
...we decided to name him Naruto, like the hero from Jiraiya-sensei's tale, and Kushina loved it. She's due this week and we couldn't be happier...
Naruto saw that that was the last entry in the diary, making him drop it, looking around, trying to gather his bearings. He was the Yondaime's son, the man who saved the village from the famous Kyuubi, the demonic nine-tailed fox, at the cost of his own life. Naruto got the diary again and stashed it inside his jacket, quickly switching to the Sandaime archives, looking at the documents, and after speeding through the titles, he found what he was looking for.
[The Uzumaki]
[The Nine-Tailed Fox Invasion]
He knew he had no more time, so he took it with him and stashed it inside his jacket as well, walking to the Yondaime's shelf to steal two small-sized scrolls, also stuffing them inside his jacket, turning to leave, just to remember he needed to put the bomb seals back or someone would notice the break-in, wondering how in the world he would do that, and then, he remembered the jutsu he just learned, leaving a Kage Bunshin inside before sneaking out and locking the door behind him.
Getting back home was proving harder than breaking into the Hokage tower. Naruto peeked at the corridor again, mentally thinking he had been moving in and out of this corridor for at least thirty minutes by now, always being blocked by a moving patrol. He saw a Shinobi coming and made his way back again, hiding behind a column, seeing the masked man turning the corner before going back. If he were to wait for the perfect time, it may never come, so he'd need to risk it. He pushed forward, peeking again, seeing the Anbu member standing there, giving no signs that he'd leave anytime soon, so instead of coming back, Naruto jumped over the balcony, landing on the ceiling of the second floor, looking around to see there were two Anbu in front of him, fifty yards ahead, looking straight forward. There was no way out, and he wondered about what to do when he remembered that he wasn't useless anymore.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(Shadow Clone Jutsu)." He whispered, and a single clone appeared, and in a part of his mind, he also noticed that the sole clone he just created was a choice, because somehow, he felt he could create more- no, many more, but for now, just one was enough. He looked at his own self and whispered.
"I need you to make some noise so I can leave-"
He was about to give more instructions when he stopped, thinking that if he were to cause a scene to draw attention to his clone, they would probably check their inventory and notice the stolen books and scrolls. He wondered about what to do, undoing the seal and letting his clone go. He then had another idea, remembering what he read in the Nidaime's scroll. He pulled the drawing he made of the Hiraishin, trying his best to tear the paper so the seal would fit his kunai's handle, just like he saw in his instructions. He took one of the rusty kunais he brought with him, rolling the paper around its handle with care, nodding to himself before hearing another sound, throwing his body under the balcony, seeing that someone was just standing there above him, looking at the village, and then, he heard the person moving away.
Naruto positioned himself at the same spot as before, looking far ahead at a nearby alley. He knew what he had to do, and he knew that if he failed, he was done for, so he gritted his teeth and took deep breaths, aiming... aiming... and with all his strength, he threw the kunai towards the alley, seeing its trajectory, praying no one would hear the low whistle the object made as it flew by, noticing it was a little off the mark, going to the right, but it hit the ground next to the brick wall, making him breath freely again, or pant actually, his adrenaline spiking.
He then tried to remember the seal and its instructions. Put chakra in the hand seal and connect it to the marked object, and when you feel the pull-
Naruto never finished pondering, feeling a tug in his stomach before being yanked from the place he stood, seeing everything around him as a flash of colors, a blur, as if he just entered another dimension, except the kunai on the ground, which was clear and coming his way at incredible speed, just as he felt he wasn't at the Hokage's tower anymore, but at the street, probably a hundred miles per hour, hitting the ground, the kunai, and trashcans in the alley, knocking a few cats aside, which hissed loudly at him. Naruto didn't even have time to acknowledge the pain in his arm and leg, quickly picking up the kunai and a scroll that fell from his jacket, running to the end of the alley, turning the corner, and ducking, just when he saw a Shinobi appearing, looking at the mess.
Naruto used his hand to cover his mouth, feeling the warm blood pouring from a wound on his leg and his arm, looking at the Anbu, just when another one appeared.
"What the hell was that?" He heard their talk while gritting his teeth at the pain.
"I saw cats running."
"I swear... they are getting bolder by the night."
"At least there are no more disgusting mice eating my stuff back home, let's go back to our posts."
"All right."
Naruto let out a gasp of pain and relief when they disappeared, pulling the previously orange but now red leg of his pants, he saw a big gash that made him groan.
He limped home as fast as he could, putting weight on his good leg, a little worried because of the blood loss, but he made it, throwing everything he had in his jacket aside, running to the bathroom, and closing the door. He undressed and took his first-aid kit, realizing he would have to do it himself.
He bit on a towel while he cleaned the wounds, trying hard not to scream, a few tears falling, quickly using the suture needle to puncture his skin, pulling it back together. After he was done, he needed some time, sitting on the floor with needles and bottles of saline around him, the bathroom floor bloodied, the same as his clothes. He looked at his work, seeing it was far from perfect, but the bleeding had stopped on both wounds, so he picked up ointments and bandages, fixing up his leg and arm before cleaning the blood. He limped to bed, taking his fake body and throwing it aside, turning his lamp on so he could start reading the Yondaime's journal again, from the beginning this time and in no rush, word by word, noticing the man named Minato kept this journal ever since he entered the academy. He wondered how it was possible that such a thin book could hold years of writing when he saw there was a tiny multiplication seal on the outside of its spine, which was the reason the plain-looking book had so many pages inside.
Naruto lost himself in the tale of his father and mother, how they met, how she was an outcast because of her hair color, how she was kidnapped, how he saved her, how they fell in love, how they got married, how Minato became the Yellow Flash of the Leaf, how he became Hokage, how Kushina became pregnant, and from the archives from the Sandaime, he found out how it all ended. The Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the village, and Minato fought it, but in the end, he was impaled with his mother.
'Why was she on the battlefield?!' Naruto thought fiercely, grasping the pages.
The report only said Kushina was pierced, and because of his ascendency as an Uzumaki, he was the only one capable of holding the tailed beast, even if just as a newborn.
"Huh?!" Naruto froze when he saw the drawing of the seal on the page, raising his shirt to see the same drawing on his skin.
He had the Kyuubi inside him this whole time?! Ever since he was a baby?! It took some time for him to understand it, accept it, and finally recover from the shock, going back to the notes on the Kyuubi attack, before changing to the second book he stole, the one about the Uzumaki clan. In there, he quickly went to the end and saw the reason there were no Uzumaki around. Some countries joined forces and targeted the clan, afraid of their strength, wiping them down, with a few surviving and fleeing, his mother being one of them. They were Fuinjutsu(Sealing) specialists and owners of a blessed chakra, which allowed them to live longer lives and gave them powerful life forces.
Naruto threw the book aside and stared at the ceiling for some time.
He finally understood everything.
It was exhilarating to have the answer to the question that had haunted him his whole life. It was a freedom almost impossible to explain, but in the end, he understood that that feeling was coming from the simple confirmation that it wasn't his fault. For many years, he tried to pinpoint the exact thing he did to deserve all the hate thrown his way, but now, knowing it wasn't his fault, made him smile, as he felt the tears falling down the sides of his face. That feeling quickly changed when the same sentence got a different meaning. It wasn't his fault... so why would people treat him that way? He was the one holding the beast, wasn't he? They should thank him- it was because of him that they were still alive.
Like a movie, all the abuse he suffered through the years started playing in his head, and he purposely pushed himself to slowly feel each one of them again.
He wasn't sure when he lost hold of his consciousness, but suddenly, he opened his eyes and instantly felt something was different. The air was... weird, hotter, and heavier, and he couldn't see straight, until he felt a presence so threatening that he instantly turned around, noticing he was almost knee-deep in water. He faced what looked like giant bars that came closer to each other until they formed some kind of gate, where there was a paper seal, and on the other side of it, there was a pair of red eyes, that slowly moved closer, revealing the face of a giant orange beast that sent shivers down Naruto's spine. The sight froze him, noticing the creature's features, its prominent canines, the whiskers in its face, but most importantly, the tails casually swaying behind it. He just needed a moment to finish counting them.
"The nine-tailed fox." He whispered, and the monster smiled, a vicious and dangerous smile, making Naruto take a step back before hearing its deep voice.
"The brat."
Naruto felt his heart pounding before he looked around, trying to find anything that would explain what was going on.
"You look confused." The creature said, and Naruto tried to calm down, even if he was in the presence of the demon fox who killed his parents and destroyed the village, it was behind those weird bars, right?
"What is this place? Am I dreaming?"
The nine-tailed beast looked around before smiling.
"You are not dreaming, and this is my prison."
"Your prison- then we're- are we inside... me?"
"Yes."
"But why am I here?"
"Because I brought you here."
Naruto frowned.
"Why?"
"I may not be able to meddle with you because of this wretched thing-" And the creature used one claw to try and touch the seal just to be zapped and chuckle. "But I've been waiting for the perfect moment to meet you."
Naruto frowned, trying to follow whatever that thing was saying.
"I've been inside your mind for a long time, brat, so I understand."
"Understand what?"
"Your angst. Everything you ever felt, everything you ever hated, everything you want to destroy, I felt it- I feel it still... through you."
Naruto squinted and took a step closer.
"You saw it?"
"Everything."
Another step closer.
"Abandoned, mistreated, chased away, used, disrespected, humiliated, forgotten. We are not different, you and I."
Naruto simply stared at the creature.
"Wouldn't it be easier to just destroy everything? Level this village and kill everyone in it, everyone who hates you? Wouldn't it be pleasurable to not have to wake up every day to this place, to its people? To their judgment?!" The monster hissed the last part, and Naruto felt a windblast moving the water, making him stumble back.
"You-" Naruto started while looking down, before meeting the creature's gaze. "You're the reason they hate me. You destroyed the village and killed all those people, you killed my parents, and because of that, you're trapped inside me- inside my body... that's why they hate me." He said a little shaky.
The creature just stared, its face turning into one of anger.
"And now you want to get out so you can do it again, don't you?"
Just that cold, vicious stare.
"You're never leaving that cage." Naruto hissed, and the fox opened its mouth, sending a burst of chakra as its demonic face with glowing red eyes, making Naruto receive the pressure and wake up startled, feeling sweat running down his face and blood running down his leg and arm, unware of the vicious chakra already moving around his mind.